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HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Historically, the end of the 18th century and the 19th century is complicated in France. There are 3 kings of the Bourbon dynasty, then their cousin of the (Bourbon)-Orléans dynasty, there are 2 Napoleons, 2 revolutions, 3 Republics, and 2 others were not crowned and have not ruled (Louis XVII and Napoleon II).
The Bourbon dynasty ended with three brothers, over a time interrupted by the Revolution and Napoleon’s Empire: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, Charles X. Charles X's reign ended with three days of demonstrations. He resigned, his son too, and they went into exile, and despite the existence of his 10-year-old grandson, Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, who could have been king.
Then his cousin Louis-Philippe d'Orléans ascended the throne. But a large part of the royalists did not recognize him, because his father had voted for the death of his cousin Louis XVI during the Revolution. For them, it was an infamy. They wanted to put on the throne the child Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, the last direct Bourbon, therefore the pretender. These royalists are called "Legitimists".
Marie-Joseph d'Horrer was one of them. His eldest son was in Russia, the other two in France. But he refused that his last two sons serve in the French army during Louis-Philippe d'Orléans's reign, and sent them as soldiers into Italy. From there, one of his grandsons will return to France and will be the founder of the French lineage. Another one will remain in Italy, and will be the founder of the Italian lineage.